Wind-stable umbrella

Abstract

A wind-stable umbrella includes structurally enhanced connectors for connecting ribs to an upper hub and pull cords extended between a middle hub and near-outer ends of the ribs. Each of the connectors includes a forward extended lug portion that is connected to the upper hub, and two shoulder portions extended from two lateral sides of an upper outer end of the lug portion. The shoulder portions increase a structural strength of the lug portions and press against an outer surface of the upper hub when the umbrella is stretched, so that the ribs are more stably connected to the upper hub via the connectors. The pull cords pull outer portions of the ribs inward when the umbrella is stretched, preventing the ribs from turning outward under a strong wind. The wind-stable umbrella therefore has solid overall structure to avoid twist and deformation due to the strong wind.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wind-stable umbrella, comprising: 
 a shaft being provided at a predetermined position with a stop ring;    an upper hub being fixedly mounted to a top of said shaft and being provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced hub holes;    a lower hub being slidably mounted around said shaft to move up and down along said shaft;    a middle hub being movably mounted around said shaft between said upper hub and said stop ring with a spring set between said middle hub and said stop ring; said middle hub being provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged and axially extended first knot-coupling holes, each of which including an expanded hole located at a radially inner side of said first knot-coupling hole, a narrowed cord slot located at a radially outer side of said first knot-coupling hole, and a stopper formed at a joint of said expanded hole and said narrowed cord slot; an upper part of an outer circumferential surface of said middle hub forming a tapered surface, an annular groove being formed around said middle hub below said tapered surface to intersect with every one of said first knot-coupling holes, and a hoop being tightened around said annular groove; and    a plurality of sets of rib members, each set of said rib members comprising: 
 a rib;  
 a connector being connected at an outer end to an inner end of said rib and at an inner end to one of said hub holes provided on said upper hub;  
 a stretcher being pivotally connected at an inner and an outer end to said lower hub and a near-middle point on said rib, respectively;  
 a cord holder being provided at one side with a rib-coupling hole for said rib to extend therethrough, so that said cord holder is fixedly mounted to a near-outer end of said rib; and at another side with a second cord-coupling hole; said second cord-coupling hole including an expanded hole located at an outer end of said cord holder, a stopper provided in said second cord-coupling hole behind said expanded hole, and a narrowed cord slot extended from said stopper to an inner end of said cord holder; and  
 a pull cord having two ends tied into an inner knot and an outer knot that are received in said first cord-coupling hole on said middle hub and said second cord-coupling hole on said cord holder, respectively.  
   
     
     
         2 . The wind-stable umbrella as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of said connectors includes a main body, an outer part of which defining a central hole into which said inner end of said rib is inserted to firmly connect to said connector; a lug portion forward extended from a central area of an inner end of said main body and having a through hole provided near an inner end thereof; and two shoulder portions extended from two lateral sides of an upper outer end of said lug portion; said lug portions being separately located in said hub holes provided on said upper hub, and being pivotally connected to said upper hub with a steel wire sequentially threaded through said through holes on said lug portions.